1960s "421" Diamond Chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Harry Bertoia (Designer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 29.93 in (76 cm)Width: 33.47 in (85 cm)Depth: 28.75 in (73 cm)Seat Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Shepperton, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4497229644162
Diamond Chair
To fully understand the design of Harry Bertoia’s (1915–78) 1952 Diamond chair — an austere and photogenic work of woven steel wire, the intricately sculptural wings of which create the illusion of sitting on air — it helps to go back to his college days: In 1937, the Italian-born artist and designer, who emigrated to Detroit at age 15, earned a scholarship to Cranbrook Academy of Art, the illustrious Michigan design school that attracted such luminaries as Florence Knoll, Eero Saarinen and Charles and Ray Eames. Bertoia was deeply influenced by the Eameses, especially by the sculptural quality that was so prominent in the furniture they made. In the 1940s, he left Cranbrook to work for the couple, developing the molded plywood furniture that would become a trademark of their designs.
Bertoia learned to weld while employed by the Eameses, but left their workshop in anger over the lack of credit he received for the important contributions he made there — a dispute that would come to play an important role in the Diamond chair’s development. He eventually took a job at an electronics lab, where he analyzed human mobility for the purpose of designing electronics with easy-to-reach knobs and consoles.
When his former Cranbrook classmate Florence Knoll tapped Bertoia to make furniture for the Pennsylvania company she had recently founded with her husband, Hans, the designer was swayed with the promise of full credit for designs he produced. Armed with a newly minted background in ergonomics as well as the knowledge he gathered from experimentation with the Eameses, Bertoia capably applied what he’d learned over the years at Knoll, where he utilized thin wires of welded metal to produce pieces that appeared to be floating in the wind — yet remained surprisingly comfortable and supportive. The Diamond chair, a widely revered component of the innovative metal furniture line that Bertoia designed at the company, has been in continuous production at Knoll since 1952 and is available in four finishes today.
Harry Bertoia
Sculptor, furniture and jewelry designer, graphic artist and metalsmith, Harry Bertoia was one of the great cross-disciplinarians of 20th-century art and design and a central figure in American modernism. Among furniture aficionados he is known for the wire-lattice Diamond chair (and its variants such as the tall-backed Bird chair) designed for Knoll Inc. and first released in 1952. As an artist, Bertoia is revered for a style that was his alone. Bertoia’s metal sculptures are by turns expressive and austere, powerful and subtle, intimate in scale and monumental. All embody a tension between the intricacy and precision of Bertoia’s forms and the raw strength of his materials: steel, brass, bronze and copper.
Fortune seemed to guide Bertoia’s artistic development. Born in northeastern Italy, Bertoia immigrated to the United States at age 15, joining an older brother in Detroit. He studied drawing and metalworking in the gifted student program at Cass Technical High School. Recognition led to awards that culminated, in 1937, in a teaching scholarship to attend the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Bloomfield Hills, one of the great crucibles of modernism in America. There, Bertoia made friendships — with architect Eero Saarinen, designers Charles and Ray Eames and Florence Schust Knoll and others — that shaped the course of his life. He taught metalworking at Cranbrook, and when materials rationing during World War II limited the availability of metals, Bertoia focused on jewelry design. He also experimented with monotype printmaking, and 19 of his earliest efforts were bought by the Guggenheim Museum.
In 1943, he left Cranbrook to work in California with the Eameses, helping them develop their now-famed plywood furniture. (Bertoia received scant credit.) Late in that decade, Florence and Hans Knoll persuaded him to move east and join Knoll Inc. His chairs became, and remain, perennial bestsellers. Royalties allowed Bertoia to devote himself full-time to metal sculpture, a medium he began to explore in earnest in 1947.
By the early 1950s Bertoia was receiving commissions for large-scale works from architects — the first came via Saarinen — as he refined his aesthetic vocabulary into two distinct skeins. One comprises his “sounding sculptures” — gongs and “Sonambient” groupings of rods that strike together and chime when touched by hand or by the wind. The other genre encompasses Bertoia’s naturalistic works: abstract sculptures that suggest bushes, flower petals, leaves, dandelions or sprays of grass. As you will see on these pages, Harry Bertoia was truly unique; his art and designs manifest a wholly singular combination of delicacy and strength.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Two 1960s "421" Diamond Chairs By Harry Bertoia For Knoll InternationalBy Harry BertoiaLocated in Shepperton, SurreyAn early pair of 1960s "421" Diamond chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International, in white with contrasting black legs. Harry Bertoia's finest achievement, the striking 421 ch...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- 1960s Tempestini Style Tripod Dining TableBy Maurizio Tempestini, John SalteriniLocated in Shepperton, SurreyA modernist tripod dining table, similar in form to Maurizio Tempestini or Salterini tables. Of 1960s vintage, it would go very well with our C...Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Three Swedish 1950s Cocktail "Circle" Chairs by Yngve Ekstrom for SwedeseBy Yngve EkströmLocated in Shepperton, SurreyThree beautiful 1950s Laminett Circle chairs by Swedish designer Yngve Ekstrom. With striking hoop frames on tapered legs, the seat and backrest in original yellow linen fabric...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsBeech
- Danish Scimitar Chair by Preben Fabricius & Jørgen Kastholm for Bo ExBy Jørgen Kastholm & Preben Fabricius, Poul KjærholmLocated in Shepperton, SurreyA Danish "Scimitar" chair by Preben Fabricius and Jørgen Kastholm for Danish makers Bo-Ex. It is upholstered in supple tan leather with burgundy trim. It rests on a striking, curv...Category
Late 20th Century Danish Minimalist Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Four Vintage 1950s CH-23 Chairs by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen in Teak & OakBy Hans J. Wegner, Carl HansenLocated in Shepperton, SurreyA set of four wonderful 1950s CH-23 dining chairs by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen. In teak, beech and oak they feature eye-catching oak joinery in the teak backrests. The success o...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech, Oak, Teak
- Unique 1950s Springbok Garden Table and Chairs Set by Ernest RaceBy Race Furniture, Ernest RaceLocated in Shepperton, SurreyA unique 1950s table with four accompanying "Springbok" chairs by Ernest Race for Race Furniture. Made for the 1951 Festival of Britain, the chairs are of original vintage. The chairs bear remnants of the Race Furniture label. The bespoke Springbok table was made by Ernest Race in the 50s to accompany the chairs and is as rare as it gets. This set is documented in the Antique Trade Gazette: Ernest Race, who died at the early age of 51 in 1964, established his eponymous company in 1945 and is best known for his 'Antelope' and 'Springbok' chairs that were unveiled at the Festival of Britain and used steel rod frames with plywood and spring seats. Pictured here is a set of four 'Springbok' chairs as shown at the festival accompanied by a unique custom-made table. Both use Race’s characteristic steel rod frames and ball feet. The set has had some conservation work, including the addition of transparent tubing to protect areas where the plastic webbing has split. It remains in very useful condition and would make the ultimate MCM garden...Category
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsSteel
- Child Chair by Harry Bertoia for KnollBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Oklahoma City, OKWonderful set of child sized side chairs designed by Harry Bertoia for Knoll. Set was painted light blue at one point and have a wonderful patina. Pictured with Herman Miller fiberglass armchair...Category
Vintage 1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Children's Furniture
MaterialsMetal
- Harry Bertoia Diamond Chair for KnollBy Harry BertoiaLocated in New York, NYMid-Century Modern Harry Bertoia (American, 1915 - 1978) Diamond Chair for Knoll (designed 1952) in white with black base and one seat cushion (black). 30" H x 34" W x 25" D; seat he...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Diamond Chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll InternationalBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Brussels, BEDiamond chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International, 6 available Sold par piece 1200€.Category
Vintage 1970s European Armchairs
MaterialsChrome
- Diamond Chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll InternationalBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Brussels, BEDiamond chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International, 6 available Sold par piece 1200€.Category
Vintage 1970s European Armchairs
MaterialsChrome
- Diamond Chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll InternationalBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Brussels, BEDiamond chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll International, 6 available Sold par piece 1250€.Category
Vintage 1970s European Armchairs
MaterialsChrome
- Bird Chair by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, 1960sBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Lasne, BEBlack metal chair by Harry Bertoia. Model: Bird. Seat height: 22 cm. Wear due to time and age of the chair.Category
Vintage 1960s Central American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal